At
our November meeting we announced that we were not going to renew our
contract with KTNF AM 950 radio due to cost. Instead, we were going
to create a live podcast of our program, which would cost us almost
nothing. Now it looks like we're going to have the best of
both worlds.

KTNF
did not want to lose us, so they made a lower, counter-offer, which
we accepted. We have signed a contract to continue for the first six
months of 2009.

However,
KNTF would like to charge us the full rate again after those six
months. The only way we can do this is to find a co-sponsor who will
pay for half. With that in mind, we are open to experimenting, by
changing our show into an "Atheist-Theist News Hour" and
finding a religious co-sponsor.

We
know our point of view will sound more reasonable than a religious
point of view, and there might well be things we agree on. Moreover,
we think a program that has some debate will attract a larger
audience. (College atheist-theist debates always draw a bigger crowd
than either side alone.) So, the program would be a combination of
news and interviews with both sides collaborating on the topics. It
would continue to be turned into a podcast afterwards.

Meanwhile,
we will move our standard "Atheists Talk" to being a live
podcast, at a set day and time each week, which can be streamed live
on computers and turned into a podcast afterwards. We will get a
special phone number so people can call in. We will also operate a
live on-line chat room for questions and comments. A further
advantage of this setup is that we would not have any commercials.

There
is also a possibility that KFAI (Fresh Air) radio would be interested
in our "Atheists Talk" program, but it could take a long
time before there would be an opening for us.

The
new year will also bring some key personnel changes. Mike Haubrich
is stepping down as our program's host in favor of Stephanie
Zvan, who has already hosted a few shows and received favorable
reviews. After a year of being the director, I will be turning over
the reins to Mike Haubrich. Both Mike and I will continue to
occasionally interview people on the show.

Continuing
as other interviewers, we have Lynn Fellman,
Scott Lohman, Grant Steves, George Kane, Cynthia Egli, Bjorn Watland,
and Steve Petersen. For technical support we will have Bjorn Watland
and Drew Hau. Paul Nelson and John Funk will also be contributing
their talents to the program.

In
the past two months we aired programs 43-51 of "Atheists Talk."
Mike Haubrich hosted the programs in November and Stephanie Zvan
hosted the program in December. Those programs were:

Nov.
2 - "The State of Science Education in
Minnesota" with Scott Lanyon, Randy
Moore, and Sehoya Cotner, interviewed by Lynn
Fellman.

Dec.
28 - "The Year in Biological Sciences" with
Perry Hackett, interviewed by Lynn Fellman.

Even
though we got a reduced rate contract with KTNF, we still need your
support for our program. You can send a check (with "Radio
Fund" in the memo line) to Minnesota Atheists, P.O. Box 6261,
Minneapolis, MN 55406, or make a dedicated donation with PayPal or a
credit card on our website (MinnesotaAtheists.org).

Also,
don't forget to support our sponsors who support our radio show
with their advertising: the American Humanist Association, the Humanists of Minnesota, the Secular Coalition for America, and Q.Cumbers restaurant in Edina.

After
almost every radio show our crew heads over to Q.Cumbers restaurant
(7465 France Ave. S., Edina, MN 55435)
at 11:00 a.m. We'd love to have you join us. Don't
forget to print out an Atheists Weekly E-mail or show your Minnesota
Atheists newsletter to get a $2.00 discount!